The list of wealthiest animals in the world include animals that have inherited or earned over 1 million U.S. dollars.
Through inheritance
Non-human animals are not legal persons and cannot directly own property. Pets typically "inherit" money through a pet trust through which the money must be used for their care after the death of the owner.
| Name | Estimated worth in US$ millions (estimated) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Tardar Sauce | 99 (2018) | Better known as Grumpy Cat, Tardar Sauce had an estimated worth of at least $99 million. |
| Olivia Benson | 97 (2018) | A Scottish Fold cat owned by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. |
| Gigoo | 15 (2016) | A Scots Dumpy hen willed $15 million. She was owned by Miles Blackwell, a publisher of textbooks. |
| Tommaso | 13 (2018) | A black cat who lives in Italy and inherited $13 million. The cat was a stray that found its way into the home of Maria Assunta, a property magnate in Italy. When Assunta died at the age of 94, she willed her fortune to either the cat or an animal welfare charity that would look after it. It was decided after no suitable charity could be found that the money would be given to the cat, held in trust by Assunta's nurse. |
| Blackie | 12.5 (2018) | Considered the richest cat by Guinness World Records until 2018, inherited a $12.5 million fortune. |
| Conchita | 11.3 (2010) | A Chihuahua, was bequeathed $3 million plus an $8.3 million mansion in Miami by heiress Gail Posner. |
| Lulu | 5 (2021) | An 8-year-old Border Collie, inherited $5 million in her owner's will. |
| Choupette | 3.18 (2015) | In March 2015, Lagerfeld said, in an interview with The Cut, that Choupette had earned €3 million ($3.18 million USD) during 2014 from participating in two projects: one for cars in Germany, and the other for a Shu Uemura's "Shupette" beauty product in Japan. |
| Trouble | 2 (2010) | A dog that was owned by Leona Helmsley, to which she bequeathed $12 million in a will that disinherited her two grandchildren. A judge later amended the amount down to $2 million. |
| Flossie | 1.3 (2002) | A dog owned by Drew Barrymore, barked to alert her and then-husband Tom Green of a fire. She put her $1.3 million house in trust for the dog to show her gratitude. |
| Tinker | 1.02 (2003) | A stray cat that was bequeathed an $800,000 home and a $226,000 trust fund. |
Hoaxes
- Reportedly, Toby Rimes, a poodle, inherited $20 million from New Yorker Ella Wendel in 1931. In fact, it seems that no such bequest was made.
- In 2021, the Associated Press and several other news organizations reported that a German Shepherd dog named Gunther VI inherited $400 million dollars from Countess Karlotta Leibenstein of Germany. The day after the Associated Press article, the New York Post published an article disputing the validity of the claim. The Associated Press later removed the article from its website and published a new article admitting the story was a fabrication. The story of Gunther was featured in the 2023 Netflix documentary series Gunther's Millions.
See also
References
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- "Pet Rich List 2018 reveals the wealthiest pets in the world". Country Living. 2018-08-12. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- "Pet Rich List 2018 reveals the wealthiest pets in the world". Country Living. 2018-08-12. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- "World's Richest Chicken - Millionaire Hen". 13 April 2016. Archived from the original on 10 April 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
- "Tommaso, the Italian cat, inherits $13 million from owner Maria Assunta | Public Radio International". Archived from the original on 10 April 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
- "Wealthiest cat | Guinness World Records". Archived from the original on 10 April 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
- Maremont, Mark; Scism, Leslie (2010-06-17). "Chihuahua at Center of Fight Over Posner Heiress's Will". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
- Beres, Nick (11 February 2021). "8-year-old border collie named Lulu inherits $5 million in owner's will". NewsChannel5. Archived from the original on 15 February 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
- Buckley, Cara (10 June 2011). "Cosseted Life and Secret End of a Millionaire Maltese". The New York Times.
- ^ "Pets that inherited a fortune". MNN - Mother Nature Network. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
- Tim Parker. "These Are Some Of The Richest Pets In The World". Business Insider Australia. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
- "The world's top 4 richest pets". Yahoo! Finance. 6 January 2012. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
- Mervin Rosenman (1984). Forgery, Perjury and an Enormous Fortune.
- Gould, Jennifer (November 18, 2021). "No, stupid: A dog isn't really selling Madonna's former Florida mansion". New York Post. Archived from the original on January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- Spencer, Terry (Nov 23, 2021). "Story about dog 'selling' mansion part of long-running tale". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
- Goffe, Nadira (February 1, 2023). "The Biggest Lie in Netflix's Hit New Docuseries". Slate. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.